The Milwaukee Bucks are beginning the 2023-24 NBA season as the favorites to win the championship next June, and they solidified their standing in their opening night contest against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

NBA: Damian Lillard Impresses In Bucks Debut

Damian Lillard tonight:

39 points

8 rebounds

4 assists

17/17 FTs

SCARY HOURS. pic.twitter.com/AMgSheGcbk

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 27, 2023

The Bucks spent a majority of the off-season just behind the Denver Nuggets on the board of shortest odds to win the 2024 NBA Finals, but that all changed the day that they acquired Damian Lillard. The addition of the superstar guard boosted Milwaukee into the top spot, making them the team to beat not only in the Eastern Conference, but in the entirety of the league.

There were some questions about how dominant the Bucks would be early on, but the oddsmakers didn’t think it would take very long for the team to gel. For the game against the 76ers, Lillard’s new team was favored by 6 points over Philadelphia, who have a chance to compete in the East themselves.

The Bucks were unable to cover the spread thanks to a late flurry by Philly, but still came out with a victory on opening night against a conference rival. Lillard was especially impressive, scoring 39 points in his debut, sinking all 17 of his free throws and grabbing 8 rebounds to boot. Giannis Antetoukounmpo had some big plays down the stretch, getting the Bucks back into the game when the 76ers took the lead halfway through the 4th quarter.

Missing Harden Could Have Affected 76ers

James Harden went to the airport to join the 76ers on their road trip, and was denied entry onto the team plane by a security official, per @ChrisBHaynes

Yikes. pic.twitter.com/mfUXAiEVw6

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 26, 2023

The 76ers were without James Harden, who was in the news earlier in the day for being denied access to the team’s plane as they departed for Milwaukee on Wednesday. There is no word on whether he’ll play for the team any time soon, but his presence was certainly missed in the first game of the season, and the results may have been different had he been available to play.

Embiid scored 23 points but was plagued by 7 turnovers, and was not the highest scorer on his team. Tyrese Maxey is in the conversation for Most Improved Player in the NBA at the start of the season, and had a strong first night by scoring 31 points and dishing out 8 assists in the loss.

The Bucks will have two days off before they play against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.